About My Blog

I was selected with 5 other Miami Dade College student leaders to be part of the inaugural MDC class to attend the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership's Latino Leadership Initiative. The LLI is an intensive, week-long leadership development program designed to enhance the leadership capacity of students committed to serving the Latino community. During the first three days of the program, we were taught by the organizer extraordinaire, Marshall Ganz, who enabled our capacity to organize social movements that we feel passionate about. Participation in the LLI inspired me to view alternative possibilities for my career and tapped into my intrinsic motivation for issues involving access to education and developing leadership potential in young people. 


I formed a familia with students from Texas, California and Boston and interacted with leaders in all sectors, including CNN Analyst and former presidential advisor David Gergen, migrant farm workers activist Eliseo Medina, NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez, Teach for America's Vice President of Diversity Amanda Fernandez, Hispanic National Bar Foundation President Mayda Prego, and many others. 


As part of the LLI, I recently completed a 9 month community organizing campaign, entitled 305 Rise, which provided leadership development seminars focused on public narrative, building relationships, team building and negotiation skills for 20 first year, first generation college students. 

In this blog I will focus on my LLI experience, personal leadership action plan, 305 Rise and any other interrelated issues on leadership and education. 

CNN Analyst and former presidential advisor David Gergen
poses with 305 Rise Crew at Celebratory Dinner.
Top Row: Jessica Giraldo, Anabetsy Rivero, Laura Barrera,
Jessenia Guerra, Luis Sanchez, Carlos Barrezueta (MDC administrator)
Bottom Row: David Gergen and Vanessa Chalmers.